


Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

by colazitron



Series: 2016 December Holiday Fic Countdown [22]
Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Promiscuity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-09-11 05:07:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8954815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colazitron/pseuds/colazitron
Summary: Isak has a reputation for hooking up with girls, but Even knows that look he gives him. He should probably stay away, but... he doesn't want to.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the characters depicted herein or their creators. I made all of this up in my head and am sharing it purely for entertainment purposes.

Even knows he’s handsome.

He doesn't mean to be arrogant, but there’s no use pretending he doesn't know that people tend to look at him a second too long, that he resembles the faces in the magazines, that his mum’s not only biased when she calls him “my handsome boy”.

So there's that.

Even’s been at Nissen for only a few weeks, but third years are mostly chill, and he's found friends easily. He wasn’t really worried, but he's still glad, even if half their gossip makes no sense to him. He's still learning.

Like right now.

“I heard he turned Emma down at Eva’s party last weekend,” Teresa says.

“Emma Larzen? From first year? She's totally his type though!” Inga says.

“I know! Supposedly he’s turned down every girl this year,” Teresa says.

“Seriously?” Inga asks, as though someone just told her pigs could in fact fly.

“Who?” Even asks, less interested in the guy and more in the obvious excitement this development seems to invoke.

“Isak Valtersen,” she says.

“Who?” Even says again. He doesn't remember an Isak from any of his classes.

“A second-year. He and his best friend had some sort of competition about who could go down on more girls last year, apparently. Girls were lining up for it. Jonas started seeing someone in spring but Isak just kept going,” Teresa explains.

“He must've gone through half the school by now,” Inga grins.

“Yeah, and the other half are boys,” Teresa titters.

Even sighs.

He looks around the cafeteria and catches sight of the blond hair of the guy he remembers seeing his first day here. He looks a bit grumpy with his hood up and his friends chatting around him, but still pretty. Even has avoided purposely searching him out, doesn’t even know his name. He’s only just broken up with Sonja, doesn’t really want to get into anything else, but this boy...

“I heard he hooked up with Chris Schistad,” Inga says.

“William’s best friend? No way. He always had girls hanging all over him!”

“It's just what I heard! That they had a thing over the summer, before Chris went to Barcelona.”

Even lets his gaze move on, helplessly aware of the boy in his periphery. Inga and Teresa are discussing whether to believe the rumours of Isak Valtersen’s talented tongue, when the boy looks across the room directly at Even. Even doesn't dare move to meet the gaze immediately, waits to see what it is. It goes on for a moment, another, and then a moment too long.

Even looks back, and the boy immediately looks away, leaning back in his chair, fiddling with his clothes, reaching for his food. Trying too hard to project an aura of nonchalance.

Even knows that look. There have been enough boys who looked at him too long, but never dared meet his eyes. Even knows he’s handsome, he knows what this looks means.

His heart starts beating a little faster.

“Who's that?” he asks, before he can help himself.

Teresa follows his eyes and laughs.

“That's Isak,” she says.

Even’s heart sinks.

He knows that look, knows that Isak probably did have a thing with whoever Chris Schistad is, and if there's any truth to the rumours about his going down on any girl willing, then Even needs to forget everything he knows about Isak Valtersen as quickly as he can. Going down on girls and staring at Even is one thing, going down on girls and unable to look Even in the eyes is a completely different one.

When a girl he's seen hang around Isak tells them about kosegruppa, he agrees to come and watches her give the same speech to Isak and his friends.

Even is so fucked.

He shows up to kosegruppa barely in time, but Isak’s there, and he’s sitting alone. He's frowning down at his phone, but he glances up when Even walks in, and again looks away when Even catches his eyes. Even weighs his options, and then sits down behind him. A girl, Emma, apparently, approaches Isak, and Even feels himself tense, and relax again when Isak doesn't seem overly pleased to see her.

Vilde suggests some sort of group trust love ice breaker thing and asks them to split up into pairs. Even knows how this scene goes. Isak has for some reason been left to fend for himself by his friends. Even will approach him and make some innocuous comment about them being all alone, Isak will complain about his friends, Even will commiserate. They’ll mock the trust exercise and exaggerate everything they're asked to do. Isak will give him another one of those looks. All Even has to do is be cool with it all, so as not to spook Isak.

And then Isak gets up and steals out of the room.

It takes Even a while to duck out himself and find Isak in the toilets, playing a game on his phone, going by the noises coming from the stall.

He could still leave, forget Isak Valtersen and his fluffy hair, his Cupid’s bow and his sexuality crisis. But then Isak steps out of the stall, eyes widening slightly when he recognises Even, and suddenly Even finds himself pulling every last paper towel out of the wall dispenser.

Isak watches him.

“Oh, did you need one as well?” Even asks, perfect mask of innocence, and fishes a dry, if slightly crumpled, piece of paper out of the bin to hand to Isak.

Isak crumples it in his fist and stares some more.

“Come outside,” Even says, taking the joint down from behind his ear and leaves Isak standing there.

Even sits on the backrest of the bench out front, lights the joint for something to do more than anything. His heart pulls tight despite his best efforts.

Isak ambles outside, smiles a little at the awkward dance when Even offers him the blunt, and then climbs up to sit next to him.

It's stilted, the conversation between them, barely more than mutual introductions, and goes even more awkward when Emma finds them - well, finds Isak - but even though it ruined the mood, Even is almost a little glad for it. It confirms what he'd been suspecting. Isak was perfectly willing to spend time with Even alone.

A few days later Even is presented with the perfect opportunity to test that theory, when Isak asks him to buy beer for him and his friends, and Even pretends to have forgotten his ID at home. Isak loosens up when it's just the two of them, smoking and talking about music. The way he watches Even make them cheese toasties makes Even bold, makes him think he might get away with a kiss goodnight, but then Even's friends show up, and Isak shies away again, leaves so quickly it's like water running through Even's hands.

There's a kosegruppa pre-game being hosted at Isak’s only a week later, and Even, though he has no plans to drink or go out with the others, agrees rather enthusiastically to be there when Vilde invites him. It's all a matter of making his company interesting enough that Isak would rather stay behind with Even than leave with the others.

The way to do that presents itself rather immediately and easily in the relieved look Isak gives him when Even throws himself onto the couch next to Emma and Isak, bouncing her away from where she's leaning into his personal space. All he has to do, it seems, is put himself in between Emma and Isak. So Even sticks close to Isak, takes Emma’s place when she briefly gets up to get another drink, and provides lighthearted chatter. Isak soaks it all up like a sponge, uses Even like the shield against unwanted interaction he's offering to be, politely disinterested in anyone but Even. He probably has no idea how obvious he makes his interest, but every smile makes Even's heart race. 

When people start clearing out, Isak starts clearing up, and Even moves to help automatically. Emma finds them in the kitchen side by side, emptying beer cans into the sink.

“A few of us are gonna share a taxi...?” she offers, looking at Isak only.

“I’ve got a bike,” Even says with a wide smile.

“Uh, yeah, me too,” Isak says.

Emma looks dejected enough that Even almost feels sorry for her. She should just learn to accept Isak’s obvious disinterest though, so it doesn't last for very long.

They continue to clean up in mutual silence, and Even decides to let Isak break it this time.

“Thank you, for staying behind and helping,” Isak finally says when they're done, leaning against the kitchen counter.

“No problem,” Even grins. He only came to spend time with Isak anyway.

Isak doesn't answer, but he looks at Even again, and Even lets him. Tries to relax his shoulders and soften his face. He looks back, at the curve of Isak's shoulders and the pink stripes smeared over his cheeks, and Isak doesn't flinch away from the attention. Even thrills at the realisation.

“I don't really feel like going out anyway,” he decides to push, voice just a tad lower than usual.

Isak catches the implication in it, if the way his eyes widen and he ducks his head, tucking his chin almost all the way into his chest, is any indication. But Even also catches the pull of a smile on his lips, so when Isak doesn't move away, he moves closer. Tilts his head and shuffles into Isak’s personal space, intention unmistakable. He waits, moves slowly, lets the tension build between them.

And then Isak lifts his head. Just the smallest bit, but he turns to meet Even's lips.

“Me neither,” he whispers, and lets Even seal their mouths together.

With everything Even has heard said about Isak Valtersen, he expected him to push. To try and take control of the kiss, make it deep and wet. But Isak barely kisses him back, the press of his lips feather light. Even feels his insides liquify instantly at the unexpected tenderness, coaxes Isak into a more solid kiss gently. Isak gives beautifully under his touch, tilts his head with just the barest suggestion from Even's hand on his jaw, kisses Even's lips like he’s in no hurry at all.

It's when Even puts his arms around Isak's waist, pulls him closer, that Isak pulls away. The expression on his face is so raw, it makes Even's breath catch. It’s humbling.

“I'm not ready to be out. I dont even really know...” Isak says like a confession, and leaves the rest hanging in the air between them. He looks away, frustrated and scared, but still pulled in close against Even's body. 

Even feels the harsh thundering of his own heartbeat, his own secret clogging up his throat.

“I'm bipolar,” he blurts, freezes up even more than Isak does.

And then Isak laughs.

“Well, aren't we a match made in heaven,” Isak drawls, suddenly looking tired.

“I don't want heaven, I want you,” Even says, putting the rest of his cards on the table.

"You don't even know me," Isak says.

"I want to get to know you," Even replies.

Isak considers him for a moment and then lifts his arms to wrap them around Even's neck, pulling him into another kiss.

"Me too," Isak whispers just before their lips touch. For now, that has to be enough.

****

The End


End file.
